22: This company is too fierce.

The two chatted and walked towards the parking lot, where a jet-black business van had been waiting for a long time.

Li Ming whistled, "Not bad, a private car service? Your company's benefits are that amazing?"

The car door slid open silently, and an AI voice gently announced, "Welcome to the Titan Group's private car service. Your destination has been locked, and you are expected to arrive in 1 hour and 27 minutes."

Li Ming's legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground, "Is this a fucking car AI? Holy crap, in our country, only a few smart speakers are decent, but their intelligence is just so-so. You! You've put this in a car!?"

"It's just basic intelligence," Zhou Ping said, feigning calmness, but secretly observing his friend's reaction. "Buckle up, it drives even more smoothly than an old pro."

"What do you mean? It's still autonomous driving?! Then what's that thing in the driver's seat?" Li Ming pointed at the person sitting in the driver's seat, his face filled with terror.

Zhou Ping shrugged, "It's a high-fidelity dummy to avoid scaring pedestrians. Get in first, we can talk inside."

"Damn it, fine! If you're not scared, why should I be?"

Li Ming put his luggage down and plopped directly into the car. He sank into the soft leather seat, unable to resist reaching out to touch the material.

"Holy shit, this feel..." He pinched the armrest. "What kind of leather is this? It's so delicate?"

"Man-made," Zhou Ping said, closing the car door. The interior lights automatically adjusted to a soft, warm tone. "It's a bionic leather developed by the company itself; it's more durable, breathable, and can automatically balance temperature, unlike real leather."

Li Ming's eyes widened, "What the hell? Your company makes this too?"

Zhou Ping smiled, "More than that."

He raised his hand and lightly pressed the car door's armrest, and a holographic projection screen immediately appeared before them, displaying various vehicle parameters: speed, energy consumption, route planning, and even the air quality index outside the car.

"This..." Li Ming reached out to poke the projection, finding that his finger could actually pass through the images. "Holographic projection? Isn't this still in the lab stage?"

"Perhaps in our country," Zhou Ping shrugged, "but at Titan, this is already standard."

Li Ming swallowed hard, suddenly realizing a problem: "Wait, this car... could it also be made by your company?"

Zhou Ping didn't answer, he just swiped the projection screen, bringing up a holographic model of the vehicle. The car body structure, power system, and intelligent modules were all displayed in 3D, and the Titan logo was clearly printed in the bottom right corner, with a line of small text next to it: "Titan Industries · Custom Business Van."

"Holy—shit!" Li Ming sat up abruptly. "Your company even makes its own cars?!"

"Yes," Zhou Ping nodded. "From the chassis to the AI system, everything is self-developed."

"So what kind of engine does this car use? Electric motor? Hybrid?"

"Electric motor."

"What?! Is it... ah? An electric motor?"

Zhou Ping looked at Li Ming's bewildered expression and couldn't help but laugh aloud, "Otherwise, what did you think it was? A reactor?"

Li Ming chuckled dryly, a bit embarrassed, "No, it's just that I've been startled a bit too many times recently, so it just slipped out. Besides, my family makes cars, so I got a little over-excited, a little over-excited."

The car drove out of Mandala city, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed from bustling streets to lush green mountains. Li Ming stared blankly out the window, then suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "By the way, Old Zhou, I looked up information on Titan before I came, but I couldn't find anything on domestic search engines. I even used a VPN, and nothing on foreign websites either. Is your company that mysterious?"

Zhou Ping was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking about how to answer.

"It's not mysterious," he finally said, "it's unnecessary, and also not allowed."

"What do you mean?"

"Titan's main business isn't in our country, and..." Zhou Ping paused, "some technologies are not yet suitable for public disclosure."

Li Ming narrowed his eyes, "Like AI? Holographic projection? And this car?"

"Yes."

"Then what exactly does your company do? You can't really just be selling minerals, like you told me before, can you?"

Zhou Ping smiled, "Mining is just one of our businesses."

"What about the other businesses?"

"Military industry, aerospace, artificial intelligence, Biotechnica, PMC..." Zhou Ping listed casually. With each word he spoke, Li Ming's eyes widened a bit more. "Oh, right, and energy."

"...Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not," Zhou Ping said, pointing out the car window. "See that mountain in the distance?"

Li Ming followed his finger, looking towards the distant mountains that glowed faintly golden in the sunlight, the trees on the slopes swaying gently in the wind.

"At the foot of that mountain, we have an experimental base," Zhou Ping said offhandedly. "They say they're researching controllable nuclear fusion there."

".........." Li Ming was completely silent.

After a long while, he finally spoke faintly, "Old Zhou, tell me honestly. Is your company run by some big shot who awakened a system? I'm telling you, this is exactly like those transmigration novels I read."

Zhou Ping burst out laughing, "Your imagination is quite rich; those experimenters in the technology R&D department would love you. Unfortunately, it's not a transmigrator. If you said aliens, that would be a little bit—"

Before he could finish, the car suddenly decelerated, and the AI voice announced, "Entering a controlled area in 500 meters. Please prepare, passengers."

Li Ming was startled, "Controlled area?"

Zhou Ping didn't answer; he just tapped the car window. The black glass, which had been for sunshade, instantly became clear and transparent. He saw the car turn into a fork in the road and head towards a tunnel. A few seconds after entering the tunnel, about two hundred meters away, a huge metal gate slowly opened, and the Titan logo on the gate emitted a white light.

"Welcome to the Titan temporary base," Zhou Ping smiled. "Next, you'll see something even more exciting."

"Ho...ly shit!"

The gate slid open silently, and the sight before Li Ming utterly stunned him.

In a canyon surrounded by mountains, a silver-white modern architectural complex stood. The central main building was three hundred meters tall, its glass curtain walls gleaming in the sunlight. Dozens of factories and laboratories surrounded it, and drones occasionally flew through the air, like a scene from a science fiction movie.

"Welcome to the Titan temporary base," Zhou Ping patted Li Ming's shoulder. "Don't just stand there, let's get out."

Li Ming, as if waking from a dream, stammered, "Old Zhou, your company... what the hell is it? This is too intense!"

Zhou Ping smiled mysteriously, "First, I'll take you to complete your onboarding, and we can talk slowly on the way."

The car stopped in front of the security checkpoint at the base entrance. Li Ming hadn't yet recovered from the shock when Zhou Ping pulled him out of the car.

"Did you bring your ID card?" Zhou Ping asked.

"Brought, brought it..." Li Ming fumbled in his pocket for his ID. "No, do you guys check ID cards here? No, this is domestic data, right? What's the use?"

"Just a formality," Zhou Ping took the ID and handed it to the Warrior standing nearby.

Li Ming then noticed that the "security personnel" standing at the checkpoint were not human at all. It was a humanoid robot, nearly two meters tall, covered in blue armor, with yellow light emanating from the optical lens on its helmet, not at all like a warm color.

"Holy shit!" He instinctively took a step back. "Is that thing a robot?!"

"Warrior series, the company's basic security model," Zhou Ping patted the Warrior's shoulder. "Don't be scared, they're very friendly."

The Warrior took the ID card, and an armor plate on its chest slid open, revealing a scanning device. A red light flashed, and a mechanical voice announced, "Li Ming, 26 years old, citizen of Dragon Country, no criminal record. Access level: Visitor. Entry permitted."

"Access level? Visitor?" Li Ming swallowed, "You guys have different access levels here?"

"Of course," Zhou Ping led him through the security gate. "P1 level interns can only enter dormitories, the cafeteria, and your intern department."

"Department? Is it that detailed?"

"Yes. For example, in the laboratory, only staff from the technology R&D department can enter. Other departments need to be P14 level or above to enter the laboratory. If you are staff from an executive department, after reaching a certain level, you can freely access any area except those directly managed by department directors."

"So what are you now...?"

"P3, a regular employee," Zhou Ping shook the smart brain bracelet on his wrist. "I just got promoted not long ago."

Li Ming stared at Zhou Ping's bracelet and suddenly asked, "At first, I thought this was a watch, but this thing... couldn't it also be...?"

"Yes, it's an all-in-one device for holographic projection, communication, and identity recognition. It can also be used as a medical detector, though it doesn't detect many indicators," Zhou Ping casually opened an interface. "For example, right now, your heart rate is 128, and your blood pressure is a bit high. I suggest you take some deep breaths."

".........."

Li Ming took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. However, as soon as he looked up, he saw a concealed gate on the nearby mountain wall slowly opening, and a streamlined black spaceship silently glided out.

"W-what is that?!!!"

"A Corporal-class Corvette," Zhou Ping said without looking up. "It's probably going to execute a mission."

"Execute... a mission?! No, you guys really have PMC operations?! I thought you were joking!"

Li Ming watched with wide eyes as the spaceship ascended into the air. Rippling patterns suddenly appeared on its hull, and then, as if erased by an eraser, it completely vanished into thin air.

"In... invisible?"

"Just optical camouflage," Zhou Ping shrugged. "Come on, the main building is still a bit of a distance away."

Li Ming stood rooted to the spot, his eyes still fixed on the direction where the Corvette had disappeared, a gurgling sound escaping his throat.

"Old Zhou..." He grabbed Zhou Ping's arm. "That ship... can people ride in it?"

Zhou Ping stumbled from his tug. "Yes, how else would they carry out missions?"

"What's the maximum capacity? What's the top speed? What about the weapon systems? What's the principle of its stealth? Does it use nuclear fusion for energy?" Li Ming's questions came out like a machine gun, his eyes shining terrifyingly.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Zhou Ping raised both hands. "I'm just a P3 level junior employee, how would I know these details?"

"But you must know something, right?" Li Ming wouldn't give up. "Like, how big is it?"

"Uh..." Zhou Ping scratched his head. "Twenty-five meters long?"

"And the weight?"

"Around fifteen tons?"

"Power system?"

"How would I—" Zhou Ping suddenly realized and quickly shut his mouth. "These are all classified; I can't say more."

Li Ming was frantic, scratching his ears and cheeks. "Can't you just reveal a little more? Like its stealth—"

"I just said, optical camouflage," Zhou Ping interrupted him. "If I say anything more, I'll be investigated."

"Investigated?"

"Yes." Zhou Ping made a throat-slitting gesture. "At best, my salary will be docked; at worst, I'll be fired. Don't you dare get me in trouble, kid; I plan to work at this company until I die."

Li Ming instantly deflated, but his eyes still couldn't help but glance skyward, as if hoping to catch another glimpse of that miraculous spaceship.